How to master post show videos

Videos are known to be an very effective marketing format to communicate a message and engage with your audience. It may very well be a great idea to summarize your trade show success in a video. But do you know how to do and where to start?

Ask the right question

Like for every marketing strategy, you must start with the right question: “why?“

Creating a video is time consuming and can quickly become a nightmare and suck a good portion of your budget. Are you sure you should do it? Why?

There may be a few reasons to make a video – doing like others isn’t one of them.

Figure out why you want to create a video as it will shape the content, duration and style of your video. Do you want to recap the event for people who couldn’t attend? Are you planning on using it to convince prospects? Will you use it internally for team-building / info sharing purpose? Is it a tool you need to announce your next exhibition?

Whatever the reason, analyze why you need to make it, what it must contain to make it efficient and decide whether the output justifies the cost and effort.

Plan early

A post-show video must be planned BEFORE the show. You will need the right footage if you want it to be coherent.

Write a short storyboard of the scenes, angles, elements you absolutely need. Don’t be too strict though – you have no idea how things will go, so you must allow flexibility. Yet, highlight the “moments” your photographer must capture so he could look out for them.

Your storyboard must define the story you wish to tell. A video isn’t just a group of scenes following one-another. A good video tells a story. The type of story also influences the video (speed, tempo, music, tone, colors, etc.) and the impact on people, so decide it early on.

Find the right person

If you have ever shot videos before, you know that you often need to record 1 hour of tape to make a good minute of video. You will need to have a “person in charge”, and this person must be dedicated to the task. Capturing “moments” requires certain skills (review our article about “capturing moments at trade shows“) that aren’t compatible with him discussing with visitors or making product demos.

Select the right person for the job and spend some time explaining your purpose and your vision – you won’t have a second chance to acquire the right footage, so get things right from the start.

What you should shoot

Here again, it mostly depend on what you expect from your video. Yet, there are some basics that are always good to keep in mind. We are all exposed to tens of videos daily and we don’t watch half of them. You will need to trigger people’s interest, and that cannot be achieved with infinite footage of your team smiling straight at the camera. Capture “moments” – a handshake, a visitor smiling, a contract signature, visitors laughing, etc.

Remember that we have a very limited attention span – go straight to the essential. If you don’t get people excited within the first 10 seconds, you lose them. Consequently, if you shoot videos of your product, do it with a product “in action”, being used. Show your most exciting innovations, your key facts or features, etc.

Additional food for thoughts

Once you have your storyboard and your recordings, you are ready to put it all together. Here are a few elements you should consider:

Keep a good rhythm to avoid people dropping out

Your video tempo should match the music you use

Have your brand identify, but not necessarily at the beginning – don’t waste the most important seconds of your video with your logo, except if it is exciting enough to keep people interested

Pick the right thumbnail – if you use Youtube to distribute your video, the platform allows you to customize your thumbnail. Take advantage of it to select something that will make people want to click.

Most videos are watched without sound – if yours require a voice over, consider including subtitles as well.

Distribute quickly – your video will interest no-one 6 months after the show is over. If you want to surf the wave, your video should be published within days of the show. Early planning and a good storyboard should enable you to achieve that.